Will on Empty
by TerrierLee
Summary: In order to get into the Halloween spirit, Ronny takes the team costume shopping.


It was Ronny who dragged them out of the mansion a few weeks before her fated kidnapping, Will protested the entire time while Tyzonn wondered where they were going.

Ronny had parked the SHARC just outside one of San Angeles many shopping plazas, turning to look at her teammates with a grin plastered on her face. "You guys are going to _love_ this place."

She ushered them out of their vehicle, urging them to hurry up, not letting their questionable expressions stop her.

They stopped just outside the tall building and Tyzonn tilted his head to the side. Beside him, Will only sighed, "You have _got_ to be kidding me." Rose tossed a shrug his way as Dax bounced on his feet.

"You took us to Stan's Costume Emporium?! Ronny, you're the best!"

The Yellow Ranger's grin only grew, "It gets better. I asked the guy in charge; he said we get first picks on all the costumes!"

"Woah." Mack, who had been largely silent the whole time, rested an arm on Dax's shoulder, immediately ceasing the Blue Ranger's movements. "Not even Dad could do that."

"He's a fan of the European circuit."

Ronny wrapped an arm around Will and Tyzonn's shoulders, tugging them forward as she rushed them to the building entrance, "Come on! I'm going to find the best costumes for you guys!"

The remaining three shared a look before following the rest of their team.

* * *

"Aliens don't look like this!"

Rose tore her eyes away from a skimpy dress to focus on the source of the shriek.

Tyzonn held up a green alien mask, the eyes tall and round with barely a mouth and no nose. He turned to the person next to him, "I've never seen anyone look like this!"

"Ah, Ty," Dax patted the Mercurian on the shoulder, "it's fake; here," he reached up, pulling another mask off the rack, "this is perfect for you!"

"Dax, that's a cat."

"Ah ha!" The former stuntman grinned, "It's a tiger!" He placed it over his own face, "Rawr!" He lifted up his other hand, imitating a paw, "Raaawr!" He turned around, his back now facing Tyzonn as he ran off to attack his next victim.

"Ugh! What are you doing, man?!"

"Come on, Will! Don't be such a spoilsport!"

"You two seriously need new hobbies!"

"Those guys are so silly."

Rose jumped at the sudden voice behind her. She whirled around, hitting the guy on the chest, "Mack! Don't do that!"

He grinned, letting out a laugh, "Sorry." He let his eyes scan the store, finding his teammates at the end of the aisle. Dax had grabbed another mask off the rack, this time a gerbil, and managed to get the stretch band around Will's head. Ronny had him in a tight grip from behind, making sure he couldn't get away. "They look like they're having fun."

Rose let her head bob up and down in agreement. Even though they were adults, the Rangers would often act like children. And Rose never had much of a childhood... She gave him a playful grin, knowing Mack would retaliate. "You could always join them."

Mack opened his mouth, ready to retort.

* * *

Tyzonn watched his fellow teammates bicker and joke amongst themselves. They reminded him of Vella and his old team. Suddenly overcome with less than happy thoughts, the Mercurian opted to face the rack of costumes behind him. He leafed through the selection, wincing at some of the choices. He never understood horror movies, even if Dax tried to show him the appeal.

Once he bypassed the horror rack, he moved on to the next.

He grinned as one particular piece caught his eye. Pulling it out, he let his eyes scan over the blue and yellow. It even came with a mask.

It was perfect.

* * *

Will ducked behind a cardboard prop. At the other end of the store, he could hear Ronny and Dax calling his name, insisting they found the perfect costume for him. The Black Ranger shuddered, he could only imagine what they picked out.

"What are you doing, Will?"

The Black Ranger jumped, whipping around to see who was behind him. "...Ty?"

The Mercurian grinned, raising his arms, "What do you think?"

He had managed to put on the cape and mask that covered his eyes, the rest of the costume still in his gripped hands. Tyzonn found the superhero aisle.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me."

Tyzonn tilted his head, his arms falling back to his side, "You don't like it? I think it's the best! I'm going to tell Ronny this is my outfit!" And with that, he didn't wait for a response, heading off towards the sound of laughter.

From where Will stood, he could still hear everything, "Ty! That's awesome!"

"Thanks, Dax! Oh, Ronny, Will was over there."

By the time Ronny and Dax made it over, Will was gone.

* * *

The emporium was huge. Really huge. As Mack and Rose made their way through the aisles, the sounds of their teammates slowly diminished. They would periodically pause at one section, leafing through the displays, but otherwise continue on with their browsing.

"You know," Rose mused out loud, as she took out a costume from a rack, "I've never really... celebrated Halloween before." She threw a quick smile Mack's way, "Too busy studying and all."

Mack only shook his head, "Dad would never let me go trick or treating, I'm still surprised he okayed this party."

Rose returned the costume to its place on the rack, "Ronny must've said or done something to make Mr. Hartford allow it."

They continued on their way, stopping only now and then. Eventually, they made their way to the Disney aisle.

Mack picked his way through the many costumes, "What about going as Jasmine?"

The Pink Ranger tapped her chin, "Maybe..." She tilted her head, brows furrowed, "I don't know... Let's check out some more." She received a nod in return. Even as a child, Rose never perceived herself as a princess, so it never dawned on her to even dress up as one.

"Come to think of it..." Mack glanced in her direction, urging her to continue her thought. "I've only read the Grimm version of these tales, I don't think these Disney costumes are for me."

She went to the next row, thoroughly stumped on what she should do.

At the other end of the store, there were sounds of a scuffle, forcing Rose to tear her eyes away from the many costumes. She looked behind her, about to ask Mack what it might be, but he had vanished.

"Mack?"

Shouts arose from the other side of the store, getting louder and louder. Rose held in a sigh and started to move towards the noise nstead of waiting for whatever happened to come to her. She didn't have long to walk, the rest of her team already coming closer, the scene unraveling before her eyes.

Mack had joined up with the group while she browsed the aisles, his grip firm on Dax's wrist, though it was apparent that the Blue Ranger was two seconds away from bouncing out of the store. Tyzonn was talking happily to Mack, half of his costume already on.

And the source of the noise was Will, or... at least she _thought_ it was Will. He was covered, head to toes, in rags. It was almost as if he was supposed to be a mummy.

Ronny was grinning from ear to ear, not at all phased by the verbal abuse she was getting.

The group came to a stop once they reached her, but Will's tirade continued on until Ronny held up a hand, "Will, you seriously need to relax. We're here to get costumes for the Halloween party! It's for fun! You _do_ know what fun is, right?"

"That's not the point! Look what you did to me!"

Ronny scoffed, "Oh come on, it's not like I tied those rags super tight on you!"

Biting her lower lip, Rose went over to where Mack and Dax stood, "I take it we're done shopping for Halloween costumes?"

"Most definitely."

* * *

Upon returning to the Hartford mansion, Will quickly retired to his room, leaving the rest of the Halloween decorations up to the others. The rest of the team relocated in the rec room, all the decorations set aside as they took up every available seat.

Once they were all settled, it didn't take long for Spencer to arrive, eager to hear about their trip.

Rose winced as the question left the butler's lips, "We're not allowed to go as a group anymore."

Spencer paused for only a moment, "I see. And your costumes? Did everyone find something for the party?"

Tyzonn spoke up, holding up his spoils from the day, "I have the perfect outfit! I can't wait to show it off!"

Dax leaned closer to the Mercurian, "Ty, you're still wearing the mask."

"Oh."

Nodding, Spencer waited, expecting to hear the same enthusiasm. Dax rubbed the back of his head, a nervous chuckle escaping him. "Yeah, er..."

Ronny crossed her arms, "Will couldn't take a joke, so we ended up not getting anything."

"I got something!"

"We ended up not getting anything, except for Tyzonn."


End file.
